Kansas Travel Blog

Chronicling changes to KansasTravel.org and Keith's exploration & photographing Kansas restaurants, attractions, museums, festivals and art. Contact him.
Art Prints

Rosedale Mural Project - Kansas City, Kansas
Friday - January 4, 2019: We added a new page devoted to Veterans Memorial Amphitheater in Pittsburg, Kansas. The amphitheater is a permanent tribute to all Americans who have served in one of the five branches of the U.S. Armed Services: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and the Navy. Although it is part of Pittsburg State University, individual veterans do not need to be affiliated to Pitt State to be recognized. 

 

Veterans Memorial Amphitheater - Pittsburg, Kansas Veterans Memorial Amphitheater
 
Saturday - January 5, 2019: For lunch, we checked out JAMZ Bar and Grill in Kansas City, Kansas, just east of Bonner Springs and across the street from Papa Bob's BBQ, which closed last year. There is no sign that anything has been done to change Papa Bob's building.

JAMZ is more of a family restaurant than a bar & grill and serves breakfast daily starting at 7AM. 

Linda had the catfish basket, which was good and a real bargain at $7.99 for the large catfish fillets and a side of house made potato chips. 

I had the JAMZ Pig & Bull, a 1/2 pound hamburger topped with smoked pulled pork, crispy bacon, onion ring, cheddar cheese and BBQ sauce for $10.99 with the choice of potato. Although the combination sounded great, the burger was OK, The patty did not appear to be hand formed and was average. The bacon didn't seem to be very freshly cooked.

The service was good and many of the other sandwiches look to be bargains, so we will try JAMZ at least once again.

For supper, we tried the year old El Puente Restaurante, a Venezuelan Restaurant in Lenexa.

I had the empanada de pollo appetizer. It was a large chicken empanada for only $2.49, though I found it a little bland.

El Puente is know for patacones, so we each had one. Linda had the chicken for $8.99 and I had steak for $9.99. Also known as tostones, patacones are flat chips made from plantains and they are used in place of bread in sandwiches. There was a choice of sweet or salty. We went with salt, on the server's recommendation. 

We enjoyed the contents of the sandwich, but neither of us cared for the plantain chips. We will probably try them out again, going with sweet plantains the next time.

 

\JAMZ Bar and Grill - Kansas City, Kansas JAMZ Bar and Grill
 
 
 
 
 

El Puente Restaurante - Lenexa, Kansas El Puente Restaurante

Patacones at El Puente Empanada & patacones

Tuesday - January 8, 2019: The Peanut Olathe opened yesterday and I tried them out for lunch today. This is the 8th location with this Kansas City bar & grill chain, which started as a speakeasy in Kansas City, Missouri in 1933. The Peanut has a fairly short menu with burgers, seven salads, chili, burgers, a variety of sandwiches and Buffalo chicken wings.

There was no sign that this was only the second day the restaurant was open. Food service and speed were identical to our experience at other Peanut locations. No opening jitters were apparent.

I had the three Buffalo style wings and fries with house made blue cheese dressing for $10. It was just like I have enjoyed at 4 other Peanut locations.

We posted a first look review of the Peanut, which will be updated to a full review after a couple more meals.

 

Peanut Olathe - Olathe, Kansas Peanut Olathe

Peanut Olathe - Olathe, Kansas

Saturday - January 12, 2019: We added a new page about the 220' long Anthology of Argentine Mural in Kansas City, Kansas.  
Monday - January 14, 2019: I made my second visit to the new Peanut Olathe, this time having another of the dishes the Peanut bar & grills ore known for. The triple BLT is the same bacon, cheddar cheese, black pepper, red onions, lettuce, tomato and mayo on toasted whole wheat as the single BLT, but with additional helpings of everything, including an additional slice of bread.

It was a REALLY good sandwich, one of the best BLTs I have had, but at $13 it better be. It comes with sides like potato chips or coleslaw, but you will have to pay more if you want French fries or any of the other sides which I prefer.

 

Triple BLTat the Peanut Olathe Triple BLT
Thursday - January 17, 2019: We added a new page devoted to the Miners Hall Museum in Franklin, Kansas.

 

 
Friday - January 18, 2019: We had supper at Hyderabad Darbar, an Indian restaurant which opened a few weeks ago in Lenexa, Kansas. They specialize in Hyderabadi cuisine, the native cooking style of the Hyderabadi Muslims, which has different recipes for different events.

Food is ordered at a counter with a menu on the wall. There are no descriptions, photos or even the explanation of what type of cuisine they are. We had never had Hyderabadi cuisine and were somewhat lost on what to order. It was particularly hard to find our how spicy dishes would be and all of the dishes were spicier than Linda likes.

We ordered chicken Manchuria and chili chicken appetizers, lamb vindaloo and garlic naan. Total $32.96. The appetizers looked and tasted much alike, but the chili chicken included onion and sweet pepper and was my favorite of the two. 

The lamb vindaloo had the best flavor and was the spiciest of the three dishes. The dish was mostly sauce, with 5 or six small, fat bony pieces of lamb and one piece of potato. It comes only with steamed rice.

The garlic naan (flat bread) was very good.

 

Chicken Manchuria and chilli chicken apetizers - Hyderabad Darbar Chicken Manchuria and chili chicken appetizers
Sunday - January 20, 2019: For lunch we revisited Dogwood's Cafe in Kansas City, Kansas. It has been about 4 years since the last time we dined at Dogwood's. Linda had the mesquite grilled chicken breast sandwich with bacon, Swiss, lettuce, and tomato on a bun for $6.99. I had the $6.99 full size B.L.T. with a half pound of bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo on Texas toast. We split a $3.29 basket of French fries and onion rings.

The onion rings are great, but the basket was a large serving of shoestring fries and just four onion rings.

I had the BLT so I could compare it to the triple BLT at the Peanut earlier in the week. I liked the Peanut's BLT better, but this was a good sandwich and only a little more than half the price.

On our way home, we checked out the 42nd Street Rosedale Mural Project on Mission Road. The large vacant lot has a long concrete wall on two sides where Rosedale Middle School have painted during summer art programs. 

Taggers are encouraged to contact Rosedale Development Association to get involved with making the space beautiful.

 

Dogwood's Cafe in Kansas City, Kansas Dogwood's Cafe
 
 
 
 

Rosedale Mural Project - Kansas City, Kansas Rosedale Mural Project

Tuesday - January 22, 2019: At lunch time I paid a second visit to Dub V's Bar & Deli, across the street from the Johnson County Courthouse in Olathe. Today I had their chili dog

It is a great chili dog, made with homemade chili and few beans! The large dog is $7.99 and normally comes with Chile con queso, but I am a purest who asks for the cheese to be left off of chili dogs. The lightly battered fries are good and a bargain at $1.

We added a new page devoted to the Miners Hall Museum in Franklin, Kansas, which is built on the site of the Miners Hall where the Amazon Army marches began.

 

Chili dog at Dub V's in Olathe Chili dog
Thursday - January 24, 2019: We had supper at Hayward's Pit Bar B Que. I was a Hayward's the early years that it was near Antioch and College Boulevard in Overland Park, but it slipped over the years and then changed hands, before moving to Santa Fe near Old Town in Lenexa. The folks who work there work very hard at customer service, but there is something about the smoked meats which hasn't agreed with my pallet. 

Tonight I went with "Kyle's Killer Sausage" which doesn't really get its flavor from smoking, but from the ingredients - Krizman's smoked sausage link, butterflied and topped with Helga Sweet Heat Gourmet Mustard and hot giardiniera with your choice of pepper jack or ghost pepper cheese. I substituted cheddar, which I thought went well with the other ingredients. This really was a flavorful sandwich!  $11 with the choice of a side item.

 


 
 
 

Sausage sandwich at Hayward's Pit Bar B Que Kyle's Killer Sausage

Friday - January 25, 2019: I had lunch at the recently remodeled Austin's Bar & Grill in Olathe, Kansas. The entrance has been moved and the Tvs have been changed. I'm sure there are many other differences, but the one that stood out for me is they have eliminated the condiment bar, which I liked.

The menu has also changed and I tried a new item - a BLT with 10 slices of bacon, lettuce, tomato, garlic onion aioli on berry wheat bread. It is a good BLT and a good buy. While I like the Triple BLT at The Peanut, across the street better, the Peanut's Triple BLT is $13 with potato chips and Austin's BLT with 10 slices of bacon and fries is $10.

For supper we revisited  the Lenexa Public Market food hall and start-up space which opened up 16 months ago in the lower level of the new Lenexa City Hall. In addition to several purpose built restaurants, three pop-up restaurants are currently operating: Red Kitchen Tamales' Joe's Cellar and Sohaila's Kitchen. 

Sohaila's Kitchen is a fusion of Pakistani and Indian cuisine. Unfortunately, there were only three different dishes remaining this evening, but we want to try them for lunch when there is more selection.

Tonight we both ordered from Topp'd Pizza + Salads. I had the $9 Monster Meat pizza (red tomato sauce, cheddar, pepperoni, canadian bacon, italian sausage, meatballs, bacon) and Linda had the $7 Meatball Grinder (9" italian hoagie, red tomato sauce, mozzarella/provolone cheese, our hand-made all beef meatballs). Both had the same sauce, which had a hint of a spice I would have left out, but not enough of it to spoil the meal.

Overall, I enjoyed supper, but not enough to go out of my way to go there. It is a better choice for people already doing something else in the Lenexa City Center.

 

Austin's BLT - Olathe, Kansas Austin's BLT
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monster Meat pizza at Topp'd Pizza Monster Meat pizza 

Monday - January 28, 2019: For lunch, I made a second visit to Hyderabad Darbar, the new Indian restaurant in Lenexa which specialize in Hyderabadi cuisine, the native cooking style of the Hyderabadi Muslims. This was a much better experience.

In addition to the menu, from 11-3 there are three lunch specials: A vegetarian combo for $7.99, a chicken combo for $8.99 and a goat combo for $9.99. The dishes in the combo are displayed and plated in front of you. The combos come with veg biryani, chicken biryani or goat biryani, the other items change from day to day, but there is an appetizer, a curry, raiata, naan, very small salad and desert. They are served on huge platters.

I had the chicken combo, which today came with chicken 65, and the choice of two chicken main dishes: chicken tikka masala or gongura chicken. I went with the gongura, which the man plating the food said was spicier. All of dishes were good, but I really enjoyed the gongura chicken, which while spicy, was lighter and had more subtle flavors than many curries.

The naan had been baked in advance and wrapped in foil. It was OK, but fresher would be better.

 

Lunch special selection at Hyderabad Darbar in Lenexa Hyderabad Darbar lunch special
 
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